THE  FORERUNNER 

HIS   PARABLES   AND   POEMS 


BOOKS     BY     KAHLIL     GIBRAN 


'He  is  the  William  Blake  of  the  twentieth  century." 

—AUGUSTS  RODIN. 


THE    MADMAN    (1918) 

[With  three  original  drawings  by  the  author.] 

"His  is  an  irresistible  vigor  and  clarity  of  thought  and  feeling,  to 
gether  with  a  power  of  simple  picturing,  which  makes  it  unforget 
table.  It  is  the  voice  and  genius  of  the  Arabic  people." — The  New 
York  Evening  Post. 

"Never  have  I  read  anything  like  it,  never  has  a  little  book 
brought  me  so  deep  and  passionate  a  pleasure.  He  has  breathed 
the  spirit  of  the  East  on  our  cold  and  indifferent  souls;  and  I.  for 
one,  feel  almost  as  if  I  had  been  suffocated  by  the  breath  of  an 
intense  beauty." — The  Liberator. 

TWENTY   DRAWINGS    (1919) 

[With  an  Introductory  Essay  by  Alice  Raphael] 

"It  is  Rodin  that  comes  instantly  to  mind  as  a  comparison.  He 
has  sensed  a  relation  between  man  and  the  universe,  and,  with  his 
astounding  technique,  is  able  to  make  us  sense  it  too.  Mr.  Knopf 
is  entitled  to  our  gratitude." — Detroit  Journal. 

These  may  be  had  at  all  bookshops  or  from  the  publisher 

ALFRED   A.   KNOPF 

220  WEST  FORTY-SECOND  STREET 

NEW   YORK 


" 


THE  FORERUNNER 

HIS    PARABLES    AND    POEMS 


BY 

KAHLIL  GIBRAN 


NEW  YORK       ALFRED  *  A  /  KNOPF        MCMXX 


COPYRIGHT,  1920,  BY 
KAHLIL  GIBRAN 


PRINTED   IN    THE    UNITED    STATES    OF   AMERICA 


I    ^ 


CONTENTS 

GOD'S  FOOL  9 

LOVE  15 

THE  KING-HERMIT  17 

THE  LION'S  DAUGHTER  22 

TYRANNY  26 

THE  SAINT  27 

THE  PLUTOCRAT  29 

THE  GREATER  SELF  30 

WAR  AND  THE  SMALL  NATIONS  32 

CRITICS  33 

POETS  35 

THE  WEATHER-COCK  37 

THE  KING  OF  ARADUS  38 

OUT  OF  MY  DEEPER  HEART  39 

DYNASTIES  41 

KNOWLEDGE  AND  HALF-KNOWLEDGE  44 

"SAID  A  SHEET  OF  SNOW-WHITE  PAPER  .  .  ."  46 

THE  SCHOLAR  AND  THE  POET  47 

VALUES  50 

OTHER  SEAS  51 

REPENTANCE  52 

THE  DYING  MAN  AND  THE  VULTURE  53 

BEYOND  MY  SOLITUDE  55 

THE  LAST  WATCH  57 

4G9246 


THE  FIVE  ILLUSTRATIONS 
IN  THIS  VOLUME  ARE  RE 
PRODUCED  FROM  ORIGINAL 
DRAWINGS  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


You  are  your  own  forerunner,  and  the 
towers  you  have  builded  are  but  the  foun 
dation  of  your  giant-self.  And  that  self 
too  shall  be  a  foundation. 

And  I  too  am  my  own  forerunner,  for 
the  long  shadow  stretching  before  me  at 
sunrise  shall  gather  under  my  feet  at  the 
noon  hour.  Yet  another  sunrise  shall  lay 
another  shadow  before  me,  and  that  also 
shall  be  gathered  at  another  noon. 

Always  have  we  been  our  own  forerun 
ners,  and  always  shall  we  be.  And  ail- 
that  we  have  gathered  and  shall  gather 
shall  be  but  seeds  for  fields  yet  un- 
ploughed.  We  are  the  fields  and  the 
ploughmen,  the  gatherers  and  the  gath 
ered. 

When  you  were  a  wandering  desire  in 
the  mist,  I  too  was  there,  a  wandering  de 
sire.  Then  we  sought  one  another,  and 
out  of  our  eagerness  dreams  were  born. 
And  dreams  were  time  limitless,  and 
dreams  were  space  without  measure. 

And  when  you  were  a  silent  word  upon 
Life's  quivering  lips,  I  too  was  there,  an- 


other  silent  word.  Then  Life  uttered  us 
and  we  came  down  the  years  throbbing 
with  memories  of  yesterday  and  with  long 
ing  for  tomorrow,  for  yesterday  was  death 
conquered  and  tomorrow  was  birth  pur 
sued. 

And  now  we  are  in  God's  hands.  You 
are  a  sun  in  His  right  hand  and  I  an  earth 
in  His  left  hand.  Yet  you  are  not  more, 
shining,  than  I,  shone  upon. 

And  we,  sun  and  earth,  are  but  the  be 
ginning  of  a  greater  sun  and  a  greater 
earth.  And  always  shall  we  be  the  begin 
ning. 

You  are  your  own  forerunner,  you  the 
stranger  passing  by  the  gate  of  my  garden. 

And  I  too  am  my  own  forerunner, 
though  I  sit  in  the  shadows  of  my  trees 
and  seem  motionless. 


GOD'S  FOOL 

ONCE  there  came  from  the  desert  to  the 
great  city  of  Sharia  a  man  who  was  a 
dreamer,  and  he  had  naught  but  his  gar 
ment  and  a  staff. 

And  as  he  walked  through  the  streets  he 
gazed  with  awe  and  wonder  at  the  temples 
and  towers  and  palaces,  for  the  city  of 
Sharia  was  of  surpassing  beauty.  And  he 
spoke  often  to  the  passersby,  questioning 
them  about  their  city — but  they  under 
stood  not  his  language,  nor  he  their  lan 
guage. 

At  the  noon  hour  he  stopped  before  a 
vast  inn.  It  was  built  of  yellow  marble, 
and  people  were  going  in  and  coming  out 
unhindered. 

"This  must  be  a  shrine,"  he  said  to  him 
self,  and  he  too  went  in.  But  what  was 

[9] 


his  surprise  to  find  himself  in  a  hall  of 
great  splendour  and  a  large  company  of 
men  and  women  seated  about  many  tables. 
They  were  eating  and  drinking  and  listen 
ing  to  the  musicians. 

"Nay,"  said  the  dreamer.  "This  is  no 
worshipping.  It  must  be  a  feast  given  by 
the  prince  to  the  people,  in  celebration  of  a 
great  event." 

At  that  moment  a  man,  whom  he  took  to 
be  the  slave  of  the  prince,  approached  him, 
and  bade  him  be  seated.  And  he  was 
served  with  meat  and  wine  and  most  excel 
lent  sweets. 

When  he  was  satisfied,  the  dreamer  rose 
to  depart.  At  the  door  he  was  stopped  by 
a  large  man  magnificently  arrayed. 

"Surely  this  is  the  prince  himself,"  said 
the  dreamer  in  his  heart,  and  he  bowed  to 
him  and  thanked  him. 

Then  the  large  man  said  in  the  language 
of  the  city : 

"Sir,  you  have  not  paid  for  your  din- 

[10] 


ner."  And  the  dreamer  did  not  under 
stand,  and  again  thanked  him  heartily. 
Then  the  large  man  bethought  him,  and 
he  looked  more  closely  upon  the  dreamer. 
And  he  saw  that  he  was  a  stranger,  clad  in 
but  a  poor  garment,  and  that  indeed  he 
had  not  wherewith  to  pay  for  his  meal. 
Then  the  large  man  clapped  his  hands  and 
called — and  there  came  four  watchmen  of 
the  city.  And  they  listened  to  the  large 
man.  Then  they  took  the  dreamer  be 
tween  them,  and  they  were  two  on  each 
side  of  him.  And  the  dreamer  noted  the 
ceremoniousness  of  their  dress  and  of  their 
manner  and  he  looked  upon  them  with 
delight. 

"These,"  said  he,  "are  men  of  distinc 


tion.' 


And  they  walked  all  together  until  they 
came  to  the  House  of  Judgment  and  they 
entered. 

The  dreamer  saw  before  him,  seated 
upon  a  throne,  a  venerable  man  with  flow- 

[11] 


ing  beard,  robed  majestically.  And  he 
thought  he  was  the  king.  And  he  rejoiced 
to  be  brought  before  him. 

Now  the  watchmen  related  to  the  judge, 
who  was  the  venerable  man,  the  charge 
against  the  dreamer;  and  the  judge  ap 
pointed  two  advocates,  one  to  present  the 
charge  and  the  other  to  defend  the 
stranger.  And  the  advocates  rose,  the  one 
after  the  other,  and  delivered  each  his  ar 
gument.  And  the  dreamer  thought  him 
self  to  be  listening  to  addresses  of  wel 
come,  and  his  heart  filled  with  gratitude  to 
the  king  and  the  prince  for  all  that  was 
done  for  him. 

Then  sentence  was  passed  upon  the 
dreamer,  that  upon  a  tablet  hung  about 
his  neck  his  crime  should  be  written,  and 
that  he  should  ride  through  the  city  on  a 
naked  horse,  with  a  trumpeter  and  a  drum 
mer  before  him.  And  the  sentence  was 
carried  out  forthwith. 

Now  as  the  dreamer  rode  through  the 

[12] 


city  upon  the  naked  horse,  with  the  trum 
peter  and  the  drummer  before  him,  the  in 
habitants  of  the  city  came  running  forth  at 
the  sound  of  the  noise,  and  when  they  saw 
him  they  laughed  one  and  all,  and  the  chil 
dren  ran  after  him  in  companies  from 
street  to  street.  And  the  dreamer's  heart 
was  filled  with  ecstasy,  and  his  eyes  shone 
upon  them.  For  to  him  the  tablet  was  a 
sign  of  the  king's  blessing  and  the  proces 
sion  was  in  his  honour. 

Now  as  he  rode,  he  saw  among  the 
crowd  a  man  who  was  from  the  desert  like 
himself  and  his  heart  swelled  with  joy,  and 
he  cried  out  to  him  with  a  shout : 

"Friend!  Friend!  Where  are  we? 
What  city  of  the  heart's  desire  is  this? 
What  race  of  lavish  hosts  ? — who  feast  the 
chance  guest  in  their  palaces,  whose 
princes  companion  him,  whose  king  hangs 
a  token  upon  his  breast  and  opens  to  him 
the  hospitality  of  a  city  descended  from 
heaven." 

[13] 


And  he  who  was  also  of  the  desert  re 
plied  not.  He  only  smiled  and  slightly 
shook  his  head.  And  the  procession 
passed  on. 

And  the  dreamer's  face  was  uplifted 
and  his  eyes  were  overflowing  with  light. 


CHI 


LOVE 

THEY  say  the  jackal  and  the  mole 
Drink  from  the  self-same  stream 
Where  the  lion  comes  to  drink. 

And  they  say  the  eagle  and  the  vulture 
Dig  their  beaks  into  the  same  carcass, 
And  are  at  peace,  one  with  the  other, 
In  the  presence  of  the  dead  thing. 

O  love,  whose  lordly  hand 

Has  bridled  my  desires, 

And  raised  my  hunger  and  my  thirst 

To  dignity  and  pride, 

Let  not  the  strong  in  me  and  the  constant 

Eat  the  bread  or  drink  the  wine 

That  tempt  my  weaker  self. 

Let  me  rather  starve, 


And  let  my  heart  parch  with  thirst, 
And  let  me  die  and  perish, 
Ere  I  stretch  my  hand 
To  a  cup  you  did  not  fill, 
Or  a  bowl  you  did  not  bless. 


[16] 


THE  KING-HERMIT 

THEY  told  me  that  in  a  forest  among 
the  mountains  lives  a  young  man  in  soli 
tude  who  once  was  a  king  of  a  vast  country 
beyond  the  Two  Rivers.  And  they  also 
said  that  he,  of  his  own  will,  had  left  his 
throne  and  the  land  of  his  glory  and  come 
to  dwell  in  the  wilderness. 

And  I  said,  "I  would  seek  that  man,  and 
learn  the  secret  of  his  heart;  for  he  who  re 
nounces  a  kingdom  must  needs  be  greater 
than  a  kingdom." 

On  that  very  day  I  went  to  the  forest 
where  he  dwells.  And  I  found  him  sit 
ting  under  a  white  cypress,  and  in  his  hand 
a  reed  as  if  it  were  a  sceptre.  And  I 
greeted  him  even  as  I  would  greet  a  king. 

And  he  turned  to  me  and  said  gently, 

[17] 


' 'What  would  you  in  this  forest  of  seren 
ity?  Seek  you  a  lost  self  in  the  green 
shadows,  or  is  it  a  home-coming  in  your 
twilight?" 

And  I  answered,  "I  sought  but  you — 
for  I  fain  would  know  that  which  made 
you  leave  a  kingdom  for  a  forest." 

And  he  said,  "Brief  is  my  story,  for  sud 
den  was  the  bursting  of  the  bubble.  It 
happened  thus :  One  day  as  I  sat  at  a  win 
dow  in  my  palace,  my  chamberlain  and  an 
envoy  from  a  foreign  land  were  walking 
in  my  garden.  And  as  they  approached 
my  window,  the  lord  chamberlain  was 
speaking  of  himself  and  saying,  1  am  like 
the  king;  I  have  a  thirst  for  strong  wine 
and  a  hunger  for  all  games  of  chance. 
And  like  my  lord  the  king  I  have  storms  of 
temper/  And  the  lord  chamberlain  and 
the  envoy  disappeared  among  the  trees. 
But  in  a  few  minutes  they  returned,  and 
this  time  the  lord  chamberlain  was  speak 
ing  of  me,  and  he  was  saying,  'My  lord  the 

[18] 


king  is  like  myself — a  good  marksman; 
and  like  me  he  loves  music  and  bathes 
thrice  a  day.5  : 

After  a  moment  he  added,  "On  the  eve 
of  that  day  I  left  my  palace  with  but  my 
garment,  for  I  would  no  longer  be  ruler 
over  those  who  assume  my  vices  and  at 
tribute  to  me  their  virtues." 

And  I  said,  'This  is  indeed  a  wonder, 
and  passing  strange." 

And  he  said,  "  Nay,  my  friend,  you 
knocked  at  the  gate  of  my  silences  and  re 
ceived  but  a  trifle.  For  who  would  not 
leave  a  kingdom  for  a  forest  where  the  sea 
sons  sing  and  dance  ceaselessly?  Many 
are  those  who  have  given  their  kingdom 
for  less  than  solitude  and  the  sweet  fel 
lowship  of  aloneness.  Countless  are  the 
eagles  who  descend  from  the  upper  air  to 
live  with  moles  that  they  may  know  the 
secrets  of -the  earth.  There  are  those  who 
renounce  the  kingdom  of  dreams  that  they 
may  not  seem  distant  from  the  dreamless. 

[19] 


And  those  who  renounce  the  kingdom  of 
nakedness  and  cover  their  souls  that  others 
may  not  be  ashamed  in  beholding  truth 
uncovered  and  beauty  unveiled.  And 
greater  yet  than  all  of  these  is  he  who  re 
nounces  the  kingdom  of  sorrow  that  he 
may  not  seem  proud  and  vainglorious. 

Then  rising  he  leaned  upon  his  reed  and 
said,  "Go  now  to  the  great  city  and  sit  at 
its  gate  and  watch  all  those  who  enter  into 
it  and  those  who  go  out.  And  see  that 
you  find  him  who,  though  born  a  king,  is 
without  kingdom;  and  him  who  though 
ruled  in  flesh  rules  in  spirit — though 
neither  he  nor  his  subjects  know  this;  and 
him  also  who  but  seems  to  rule  yet  is  in 
truth  slave  of  his  own  slaves." 

After  he  had  said  these  things  he  smiled 
on  me,  and  there  were  a  thousand  dawns 
upon  his  lips.  Then  he  turned  and 
walked  away  into  the  heart  of  the  forest. 

And  I  returned  to  the  city,  and  I  sat  at 
its  gate  to  watch  the  passersby  even  as  he 

[20] 


had  told  me.  And  from  that  day  to  this 
numberless  are  the  kings  whose  shadows 
have  passed  over  me  and  few  are  the  sub 
jects  over  whom  my  shadow  has  passed. 


[21] 


THE  LION'S  DAUGHTER 

FOUR  slaves  stood  fanning  an  old  queen 
who  was  asleep  upon  her  throne.  And 
she  was  snoring.  .And  upon  the  queen's 
lap  a  cat  lay  purring  and  gazing  lazily  at 
the  slaves. 

The  first  slave  spoke,  and  said,  "How 
ugly  this  old  woman  is  in  her  sleep.  See 
her  mouth  droop;  and  she  breathes  as  if 
the  devil  were  choking  her." 

Then  the  cat  said,  purring,  "Not  half  so 
ugly  in  her  sleep  as  you  in  your  waking 
slavery." 

And  the  second  slave  said,  "You  would 
think  sleep  would  smooth  her  wrinkles 
instead  of  deepening  them.  She  must  be 
dreaming  of  something  evil." 

And  the  cat  purred,  "Would  that  you 

[22] 


might  sleep  also  and  dream  of  your  free 
dom." 

And  the  third  slave  said,  "Perhaps  she 
is  seeing  the  procession  of  all  those  that  she 
has  slain." 

And  the  cat  purred,  "Aye,  she  sees  the 
procession  of  your  forefathers  and  your  de 
scendants." 

And  the  fourth  slave  said,  "It  is  all  very 
well  to  talk  about  her,  but  it  does  not  make 
me  less  weary  of  standing  and  fanning." 

And  the  cat  purred,  "You  shall  be  fan 
ning  to  all  eternity;  for  as  it  is  on  earth  so 
it  is  in  heaven." 

At  this  moment  the  old  queen  nodded  in 
her  sleep,  and  her  crown  fell  to  the  floor. 

And  one  of  the  slaves  said,  "That  is  a 
bad  omen." 

And  the  cat  purred,  "The  bad  omen  of 
one  is  the  good  omen  of  another" 

And  the  second  slave  said,  "What  if  she 
should  wake,  and  find  her  crown  fallen! 
She  would  surely  slay  us." 

[23] 


And  the  cat  purred,  "Daily  from  your 
birth  she  has  slain  you  and  you  know  it 
notr 

And  the  third  slave  said,  "Yes,  she 
would  slay  us  and  she  would  call  it  mak 
ing  sacrifice  to  the  gods." 

And  the  cat  purred,  "Only  the  weak  are 
sacrificed  to  the  gods'' 

And  the  fourth  slave  silenced  the  others, 
and  softly  he  picked  up  the  crown  and  re 
placed  it,  without  waking  her,  on  the  old 
queen's  head. 

And  the  cat  purred,  "Only  a  slave  re 
stores  a  crown  that  has  fallen!' 

And  after  a  while  the  old  queen  woke, 
and  she  looked  about  her  and  yawned. 
Then  she  said,  "Me thought  I  dreamed, 
and  I  saw  four  caterpillars  chased  by  a 
scorpion  around  the  trunk  of  an  ancient 
oaktree.  I  like  not  my  dream." 

Then  she  closed  her  eyes  and  went  to 
sleep  again.  And  she  snored.  And  the 
four  slaves  went  on  fanning  her. 

[24] 


And  the  cat  purred,  "Fan  on,  fan  on, 
stupids.  You  fan  but  the  fire  that  con 
sumes  you." 


[25] 


TYRANNY 

S 

THUS  sings  the  She-Dragon  that  guards 
the  seven  caves  by  the  sea : 

"My  mate  shall  come  riding  on  the 
waves.  His  thundering  roar  shall  fill  the 
earth  with  fear,  and  the  flames  of  his  nos 
trils  shall  set  the  sky  afire.  At  the  eclipse 
of  the  moon  we  shall  be  wedded,  and  at 
the  eclipse  of  the  sun  I  shall  give  birth  to  a 
Saint  George,  who  shall  slay  me." 

Thus  sings  the  She-Dragon  that  guards 
the  seven  caves  by  the  sea. 


[26] 


THE  SAINT 

IN  my  youth  I  once  visited  a  saint  in  his 
silent  grove  beyond  the  hills;  and  as  we 
were  conversing  upon  the  nature  of  virtue 
a  brigand  came  limping  wearily  up  the 
ridge.  When  he  reached  the  grove  he 
knelt  down  before  the  saint  and  said,  "O 
saint,  I  would  be  comforted !  My  sins  are 
heavy  upon  me." 

And  the  saint  replied,  "My  sins,  too,  are 
heavy  upon  me." 

And  the  brigand  said,  "But  I  am  a  thief 
and  a  plunderer." 

And  the  saint  replied,  "I  too  am  a  thief 
and  a  plunderer." 

And  the  brigand  said,  "But  I  am  a  mur 
derer,  and  the  blood  of  many  men  cries  in 
my  ears." 

[27] 


And  the  saint  replied,  "I  too  am  a  mur 
derer,  and  in  my  ears  cries  the  blood  of 
many  men." 

And  the  brigand  said,  "I  have  com 
mitted  countless  crimes." 

And  the  saint  replied,  "I  too  have  com 
mitted  crimes  without  number." 

Then  the  brigand  stood  up  and  gazed  at 
the  saint,  and  there  was  a  strange  look  in 
his  eyes.  And  when  he  left  us  he  went 
skipping  down  the  hill. 

And  I  turned  to  the  saint  and  said, 
"Wherefore  did  you  accuse  yourself  of  un 
committed  crimes'?  See  you  not  that  this 
man  went  away  no  longer  believing  in 
you?" 

And  the  saint  answered,  "It  is  true  he 
no  longer  believes  in  me.  But  he  went 
away  much  comforted." 

At  that  moment  we  heard  the  brigand 
singing  in  the  distance,  and  the  echo  of  his 
song  filled  the  valley  with  gladness. 

[28] 


THE  PLUTOCRAT 

IN  my  wanderings  I  once  saw  upon  an 
island  a  man-headed,  iron-hoofed  monster 
who  ate  of  the  earth  and  drank  of  the  sea 
incessantly.  And  for  a  long  while  I 
watched  him.  Then  I  approached  him 
and  said,  "Have  you  never  enough;  is 
your  hunger  never  satisfied  and  your  thirst 
never  quenched?" 

And  he  answered  saying,  "Yes,  I  am  sat 
isfied,  nay,  I  am  weary  of  eating  and 
drinking;  but  I  am  afraid  that  tomorrow 
there  will  be  no  more  earth  to  eat  and  no 
more  sea  to  drink." 


[29] 


THE  GREATER  SELF 

THIS  came  to  pass.  After  the  corona 
tion  of  Nufsibaal,  King  of  Byblus,  he  re 
tired  to  his  bed  chamber — the  very  room 
which  the  three  hermit-magicians  of  the 
mountain  had  built  for  him.  He  took  off 
his  crown  and  his  royal  raiment,  and  stood 
in  the  centre  of  the  room  thinking  of  him 
self,  now  the  all-powerful  ruler  of  Byblus. 

Suddenly  he  turned;  and  he  saw  step 
ping  out  of  the  silver  mirror  which  his 
mother  had  given  him,  a  naked  man. 

The  king  was  startled,  and  he  cried  out 
to  the  man,  "What  would  you?" 

And  the  naked  man  answered,  "Naught 
but  this:  Why  have  they  crowned  you 
king?' 

And  the  king  answered,  "Because  I  am 
the  noblest  man  in  the  land." 

[30] 


Then  the  naked  man  said,  "If  you  were 
still  more  noble,  you  would  not  be  king." 

And  the  king  said,  "Because  I  am  the 
mightiest  man  in  the  land  they  crowned 
me." 

And  the  naked  man  said,  "If  you  were 
mightier  yet,  you  would  not  be  king." 

Then  the  king  said,  "Because  I  am  the 
wisest  man  they  crowned  me  king." 

And  the  naked  man  said,  "If  you  were 
still  wiser  you  would  not  choose  to  be 
king." 

Then  the  king  fell  to  the  floor  and  wept 
bitterly. 

The  naked  man  looked  down  upon  him. 
Then  he  took  up  the  crown  and  with  ten 
derness  replaced  it  upon  the  king's  bent 
head. 

And  the  naked  man,  gazing  lovingly 
upon  the  king,  entered  into  the  mirror. 

And  the  king  roused,  and  straightway 
he  looked  into  the  mirror.  And  he  saw 
there  but  himself  crowned. 


WAR  AND  THE  SMALL  NATIONS 

ONCE,  high  above  a  pasture,  where  a 
sheep  and  a  lamb  were  grazing,  an  eagle 
was  circling  and  gazing  hungrily  down 
upon  the  lamb.  And  as  he  was  about  to 
descend  and  seize  his  prey,  another  eagle 
appeared  and  hovered  above  the  sheep  and 
her  young  with  the  same  hungry  intent. 
Then  the  two  rivals  began  to  fight  filling 
the  sky  with  their  fierce  cries. 

The  sheep  looked  up  and  was  much  as 
tonished.  She  turned  to  the  lamb  and 
said, 

"How  strange,  my  child,  that  these  two 
noble  birds  should  attack  one  another.  Is 
not  the  vast  sky  large  enough  for  both  of 
them?  Pray,  my  little  one,  pray  in  your 
heart  that  God  may  make  peace  between 
your  winged  brothers." 

And  the  lamb  prayed  in  his  heart. 

[32] 


CRITICS 

ONE  nightfall  a  man  travelling  on 
horseback  toward  the  sea  reached  an  inn 
by  the  roadside.  He  dismounted,  and 
confident  in  man  and  night  like  all  riders 
toward  the  sea,  he  tied  his  horse  to  a  tree 
beside  the  door  and  entered  into  the  inn. 

At  midnight,  when  all  were  asleep,  a 
thief  came  and  stole  the  traveller's  horse. 

In  the  morning  the  man  awoke,  and  dis 
covered  that  his  horse  was  stolen.  And  he 
grieved  for  his  horse,  and  that  a  man  had 
found  it  in  his  heart  to  steal. 

Then  his  fellow-lodgers  came  and  stood 
around  him  and  began  to  talk. 

And  the  first  man  said,  "How  foolish  of 
you  to  tie  your  horse  outside  the  stable." 

And  the  second  said,  "Still  more  fool 
ish,  without  even  hobbling  the  horse!" 

[33] 


And  the  third  man  said,  "It  is  stupid  at 
best  to  travel  to  the  sea  on  horseback." 

And  the  fourth  said,  "Only  the  indolent 
and  the  slow  of  foot  own  horses." 

Then  the  traveller  was  much  aston 
ished.  At  last  he  cried,  "My  friends,  be 
cause  my  horse  is  stolen,  you  have  hast 
ened  one  and  all  to  tell  me  my  faults  and 
my  shortcomings.  But  strange,  not  one 
word  of  reproach  have  you  uttered  about 
the  man  who  stole  my  horse." 


[34] 


POETS 

FOUR  poets  were  sitting  around  a  bowl 
of  punch  that  stood  on  a  table. 

Said  the  first  poet,  "Methinks  I  see  with 
my  third  eye  the  fragrance  of  this  wine 
hovering  in  space  like  a  cloud  of  birds  in 
an  enchanted  forest." 

The  second  poet  raised  his  head  and 
said,  "With  my  inner  ear  I  can  hear  those 
mist-birds  singing.  And  the  melody 
holds  my  heart  as  the  white  rose  imprisons 
the  bee  within  her  petals." 

The  third  poet  closed  his  eyes  and 
stretched  his  arm  upward,  and  said,  "I 
touch  them  with  my  hand.  I  feel  their 
wings,  like  the  breath  of  a  sleeping  fairy, 
brushing  against  my  fingers." 

Then  the  fourth  poet  rose  and  lifted  up 

[35] 


the  bowl,  and  he  said,  "Alas,  friends!  I 
am  too  dull  of  sight  and  of  hearing  and  of 
touch.  I  cannot  see  the  fragrance  of  this 
wine,  nor  hear  its  song,  nor  feel  the  beat 
ing  of  its  wings.  I  perceive  but  the  wine 
itself.  Now  therefore  must  I  drink  it, 
that  it  may  sharpen  my  senses  and  raise  me 
to  your  blissful  heights." 

And  putting  the  bowl  to  his  lips,  he 
drank  the  punch  to  the  very  last  drop. 

The  three  poets,  with  their  mouths 
open,  looked  at  him  aghast,  and  there  was 
a  thirsty  yet  unlyrical  hatred  in  their  eyes. 


[36] 


,         THE  WEATHER-COCK 

SAID  the  weather-cock  to  the  wind, 
"How  tedious  and  monotonous  you  are! 
Can  you  not  blow  any  other  way  but  in  my 
face?  You  disturb  my  God-given  stabil- 
ity." 

And  the  wind  did  not  answer.  It  only 
laughed  in  space. 


[37] 


THE  KING  OF  ARADUS 

ONCE  the  elders  of  the  city  of  Aradus 
presented  themselves  before  the  king,  and 
besought  of  him  a  decree  to  forbid  to  men 
all  wine  and  all  intoxicants  within  their 
city. 

And  the  king  turned  his  back  upon  them 
and  went  out  from  them  laughing. 

Then  the  elders  departed  in  dismay. 

At  the  door  of  the  palace  they  met  the 
lord  chamberlain.  And  the  lord  chamber 
lain  observed  that  they  were  troubled,  and 
he  understood  their  case. 

Then  he  said,  "Pity,  my  friends !  Had 
you  found  the  king  drunk,  surely  he  would 
have  granted  you  your  petition." 


[38] 


OUT  OF  MY  DEEPER  HEART 

OUT  of  my  deeper  heart  a  bird  rose  and 
flew  skyward. 

Higher  and  higher  did  it  rise,  yet  larger 
and  larger  did  it  grow. 

At  first  it  was  but  like  a  swallow,  then 
a  lark,  then  an  eagle,  then  as  vast  as  a 
spring  cloud,  and  then  it  filled  the  starry 
heavens. 

Out  of  my  heart  a  bird  flew  skyward. 
And  it  waxed  larger  as  it  flew.  Yet  it  left 
not  my  heart. 

•          ••••• 

O  my  faith,  my  untamed  knowledge, 
how  shall  I  fly  to  your  height  and  see  with 
you  man's  larger  self  pencilled  upon  the 
sky? 

How  shall  I  turn  this  sea  within  me  into 

[39] 


mist,  and  move  with  you  in  space  immeas 
urable? 

How  can  a  prisoner  within  the  temple 
behold  its  golden  domes? 

How  shall  the  heart  of  a  fruit  be 
stretched  to  envelop  the  fruit  also? 

O  my  faith,  I  am  in  chains  behind  these 
bars  of  silver  and  ebony,  and  I  cannot  fly 
with  you. 

Yet  out  of  my  heart  you  rise  skyward, 
and  it  is  my  heart  that  holds  you,  and  I 
shall  be  content. 


[40] 


DYNASTIES 

THE  Queen  of  Ishana  was  in  travail  of 
childbirth;  and  the  King  and  the  mighty 
men  of  his  court  were  waiting  in  breathless 
anxiety  in  the  great  hall  of  the  Winged 
Bulls. 

At  eventide  there  came  suddenly  a  mes 
senger  in  haste  and  prostrated  himself  be 
fore  the  King,  and  said,  "I  bring  glad  tid 
ings  unto  my  lord  the  King,  and  unto  the 
kingdom  and  the  slaves  of  the  King. 
Mihrab  the  Cruel,  thy  life-long  enemy,  the 
King  of  Bethroun,  is  dead." 

When  the  King  and  the  mighty  men 
heard  this,  they  all  rose  and  shouted  for 
joy;  for  the  powerful  Mihrab,  had  he  lived 
longer,  had  assuredly  overcome  Ishana 
and  carried  the  inhabitants  captive. 

[41] 


At  this  moment  the  court  physician  also 
entered  the  hall  of  Winged  Bulls,  and  be 
hind  him  came  the  royal  midwives.  And 
the  physician  prostrated  himself  before 
the  king,  and  said,  "My  lord  the  King 
shall  live  for  ever,  and  through  countless 
generations  shall  he  rule  over  the  people 
of  Ishana.  For  unto  thee,  O  King,  is  born 
this  very  hour  a  son,  who  shall  be  thy 
heir." 

Then  indeed  was  the  soul  of  the  King 
intoxicated  with  joy,  that  in  the  same  mo 
ment  his  foe  was  dead  and  the  royal  line 
was  established. 

Now  in  the  City  of  Ishana  lived  a  true 
prophet.  And  the  prophet  was  young, 
and  bold  of  spirit.  And  the  King  that 
very  night  ordered  that  the  prophet  should 
be  brought  before  him.  And  when  he  was 
brought,  the  King  said  unto  him,  "Proph 
esy  now,  and  foretell  what  shall  be  the  fu 
ture  of  my  son  who  is  this  day  born  unto 
the  kingdom." 

[42] 


And  the  prophet  hesitated  not,  but  said, 
"Hearken,  O  King,  and  I  will  indeed 
prophesy  of  the  future  of  thy  son,  that  is 
this  day  born.  The  soul  of  thy  enemy, 
even  of  thy  enemy  King  Mihrab,  who  died 
yestereve,  lingered  but  a  day  upon  the 
wind.  Then  it  sought  for  itself  a  body  to 
enter  into.  And  that  which  it  entered 
into  was  the  body  of  thy  son  that,  is  born 
unto  thee  this  hour." 

Then  the  King  was  enraged,  and  with 
his  sword  he  slew  the  prophet. 

And  from  that  day  to  this,  the  wise  men 
of  Ishana  say  one  to  another  secretly,  "Is 
it  not  known,  and  has  it  not  been  said 
from  of  old,  that  Ishana  is  ruled  by  an 
enemy." 


[43] 


KNOWLEDGE  AND  HALF- 
KNOWLEDGE 

FOUR  frogs  sat  upon  a  log  that  lay  float 
ing  on  the  edge  of  a  river.  Suddenly  the 
log  was  caught  by  the  current  and  swept 
slowly  down  the  stream.  The  frogs  were 
delighted  and  absorbed,  for  never  before 
had  they  sailed. 

At  length  the  first  frog  spoke,  and  said, 
"This  is  indeed  a  most  marvellous  log.  It 
moves  as  if  alive.  No  such  log  was  ever 
known  before." 

Then  the  second  frog  spoke,  and  said, 
"Nay,  my  friend,  the  log  is  like  other  logs, 
and  does  not  move.  It  is  the  river,  that  is 
walking  to  the  sea,  and  carries  us  and  the 
log  with  it/' 

And  the  third  frog  spoke,  and  said,  "It 

[44] 


is  neither  the  log  nor  the  river  that  moves. 
The  moving  is  in  our  thinking.  For  with 
out  thought  nothing  moves/' 

And  the  three  frogs  began  to  wrangle 
about  what  was  really  moving.  The 
quarrel  grew  hotter  and  louder,  but  they 
could  not  agree. 

Then  they  turned  to  the  fourth  frog, 
who  up  to  this  time  had  been  listening  at 
tentively  but  holding  his  peace,  and  they 
asked  his  opinion. 

And  the  fourth  frog  said,  "Each  of  you 
is  right,  and  none  of  you  is  wrong.  The 
moving  is  in  the  log  and  the  water  and 
our  thinking  also." 

And  the  three  frogs  became  very  angry, 
for  none  of  them  was  willing  to  admit  that 
his  was  not  the  whole  truth,  and  that  the 
other  two  were  not  wholly  wrong. 

Then  the  strange  thing  happened. 
The  three  frogs  got  together  and  pushed 
the  fourth  frog  off  the  log  into  the  river. 

[45] 


"SAID  A  SHEET  OF  SNOW-WHITE 
PAPER  .  .  ." 

SAID  a  sheet  of  snow-white  paper,  "Pure 
was  I  created,  and  pure  will  I  remain  for 
ever.  I  would  rather  be  burnt  and  turn  to 
white  ashes  than  suffer  darkness  to  touch 
me  or  the  unclean  to  come  near  me." 

The  ink-bottle  heard  what  the  paper 
was  saying,  and  it  laughed  in  its  dark 
heart;  but  it  never  dared  to  approach  her. 
And  the  multicoloured  pencils  heard  her 
also,  and  they  too  never  came  near  her. 

And  the  snow-white  sheet  of  paper 
did  remain  pure  and  chaste  for  ever — pure 
and  chaste — and  empty. 


[46] 


THE  SCHOLAR  AND  THE  POET 

SAID  the  serpent  to  the  lark,  'Thou  fly- 
est,  yet  thou  canst  not  visit  the  recesses  of 
the  earth  where  the  sap  of  life  moveth  in 
perfect  silence." 

And  the  lark  answered,  "Aye,  thou 
knowest  over  much,  nay  thou  art  wiser 
than  all  things  wise — pity  thou  canst  not 
fly." 

And  as  if  he  did  not  hear,  the  serpent 
said,  "Thou  canst  not  see  the  secrets  of  the 
deep,  nor  move  among  the  treasures  of  the 
hidden  empire.  It  was  but  yesterday  I 
lay  in  a  cave  of  rubies.  It  is  like  the  heart 
of  a  ripe  pomegranate,  and  the  faintest  ray 
of  light  turns  it  into  a  flame-rose.  Who 
but  me  can  behold  such  marvels'?" 

And  the  lark  said,  "None,  none  but  thee 

[47] 


can  lie  among  the  crystal  memories  of  the 
cycles :  pity  thou  canst  not  sing." 

And  the  serpent  said,  "I  know  a  plant 
whose  root  descends  to  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  and  he  who  eats  of  that  root  becomes 
fairer  than  Ashtarte." 

And  the  lark  said,  "No  one,  no  one  but 
thec  could  unveil  the  magic  thought  of  the 
earth — pity  thou  canst  not  fly." 

And  the  serpent  said,  "There  is  a  pur 
ple  stream  that  runneth  under  a  mountain, 
and  he  who  drinketh  of  it  shall  become  im 
mortal  even  as  the  gods.  Surely  no  bird 
or  beast  can  discover  that  purple  stream." 

And  the  lark  answered,  "If  thou  wiliest 
thou  canst  become  deathless  even  as  the 
gods — pity  thou  canst  not  sing." 

And  the  serpent  said,  "I  know  a  buried 
temple,  which  I  visit  once  a  moon :  It  was 
built  by  a  forgotten  race  of  giants,  and 
upon  its  walls  are  graven  the  secrets  of 
time  and  space,  and  he  who  reads  them 

[48] 


shall  understand  that  which  passeth  all 
understanding." 

And  the  lark  said,  "Verily,  if  thou  so  de- 
sirest  thou  canst  encircle  with  thy  pliant 
body  all  knowledge  of  time  and  space — 
pity  thou  canst  not  fly." 

Then  the  serpent  was  disgusted,  and  as 
he  turned  and  entered  into  his  hole  he  mut 
tered,  "Empty  headed  songster!" 

And  the  lark  flew  away  singing,  "Pity 
thou  canst  not  sing.  Pity,  pity,  my  wise 
one,  thou  canst  not  fly." 


[49] 


VALUES 

ONCE  a  man  unearthed  in  his  field  a 
marble  statue  of  great  beauty.  And  he 
took  it  to  a  collector  who  loved  all  beauti 
ful  things  and  offered  it  to  him  for  sale, 
and  the  collector  bought  it  for  a  large 
price.  And  they  parted. 

And  as  the  man  walked  home  with  his 
money  he  thought,  and  he  said  to  himself, 
"How  much  life  this  money  means! 
How  can  any  one  give  all  this  for  a  dead 
carved  stone  buried  and  undreamed  of  in 
the  earth  for  a  thousand  years'?" 

And  now  the  collector  was  looking  at 
his  statue,  and  he  was  thinking,  and  he 
said  to  himself,  "What  beauty  What 
life!  The  dream  of  what  a  soul! — and 
fresh  with  the  sweet  sleep  of  a  thousand 
years.  How  can  any  one  give  all  this  for 
money,  dead  and  dreamless?" 

[50] 


OTHER  SEAS 

A  FISH  said  to  another  fish,  "Above  this 
sea  of  ours  there  is  another  sea,  with  crea 
tures  swimming  in  it — and  they  live  there 
even  as  we  live  here." 

The  fish  replied,  "Pure  fancy!  Pure 
fancy!  When  you  know  that  everything 
that  leaves  our  sea  by  even  an  inch,  and 
stays  out  of  it,  dies.  What  proof  have 
you  of  other  lives  in  other  seas?" 


[51] 


REPENTANCE 

* 

." 

ON  a  moonless  night  a  man  entered 
into  his  neighbour's  garden  and  stole  the 
largest  melon  he  could  find  and  brought  it 
home. 

He  opened  it  and  found  it  still  unripe. 

Then  behold  a  marvel ! 

The  man's  conscience  woke  and  smote 
him  with  remorse ;  and  he  repented  having 
stolen  the  melon. 


[52] 


THE  DYING  MAN  AND  THE 
VULTURE 

WAIT,  wait  yet  awhile,  my  eager  friend. 
I  shall  yield  but  too  soon   this   wasted 

thing, 

Whose  agony  overwrought  and  useless 
Exhausts  your  patience. 
I  would  not  have  your  honest  hunger 
Wait  upon  these  moments : 
But  this  chain,  though  made  of  a  breath, 
Is  hard  to  break. 
And  the  will  to  die, 
Stronger  than  all  things  strong, 
Is  stayed  by  a  will  to  live 
Feebler  than  all  things  feeble. 
Forgive  me  comrade;  I  tarry  too  long. 
It  is  memory  that  holds  my  spirit; 
A  procession  of  distant  days, 
A  vision  of  youth  spent  in  a  dream, 

[53] 


A  face  that  bids  my  eyelids  not  to  sleep, 

A  voice  that  lingers  in  my  ears, 

A  hand  that  touches  my  hand. 

Forgive  me  that  you  have  waited  too  long. 

It  is  over  now,  and  all  is  faded : — 

The  face,  the  voice,  the  hand  and  the  mist 
that  brought  them  hither. 

The  knot  is  untied. 

The  cord  is  cleaved. 

And  that  which  is  neither  food  nor  drink 
is  withdrawn. 

Approach,  my  hungry  comrade ; 

The  board  is  made  ready, 

And  the  fare,  frugal  and  spare, 

Is  given  with  love. 

Come,  and  dig  your  beak  here,  into  the  left 
side, 

And  tear  out  of  its  cage  this  smaller  bird, 

Whose  wings  can  beat  no  more : 

I  would  have  it  soar  with  you  into  the  sky. 

Come  now,  my  friend,  I  am  your  host  to 
night, 

And  you  my  welcome  guest. 

[54] 


BEYOND  MY  SOLITUDE 

BEYOND  my  solitude  is  another  solitude, 
and  to  him  who  dwells  therein  my  alone- 
ness  is  a  crowded  market-place  and  my  si 
lence  a  confusion  of  sounds. 

Too  young  am  I  and  too  restless  to  seek 
that  above-solitude.  The  voices  of  yon 
der  valley  still  hold  my  ears,  and  its  shad 
ows  bar  my  way  and  I  cannot  go. 

Beyond  these  hills  is  a  grove  of  en 
chantment  and  to  him  who  dwells  therein 
my  peace  is  but  a  whirlwind  and  my  en 
chantment  an  illusion. 

Too  young  am  I  and  too  riotous  to  seek 
that  sacred  grove.  The  taste  of  blood  is 
clinging  in  my  mouth,  and  the  bow  and  the 
arrows  of  my  fathers  yet  linger  in  my  hand 
and  I  cannot  go. 

[55] 


Beyond  this  burdened  self  lives  my 
freer  self;  and  to  him  my  dreams  are  a  bat 
tle  fought  in  twilight  and  my  desires  the 
rattling  of  bones. 

Too  young  am  I  and  too  outraged  to  be 
my  freer  self. 

And  how  shall  I  become  my  freer  self 
unless  I  slay  my  burdened  selves,  or  unless 
all  men  become  free? 

How  shall  my  leaves  fly  singing  upon 
the  wind  unless  my  roots  shall  wither  in 
the  dark? 

How  shall  the  eagle  in  me  soar  against 
the  sun  until  my  fledglings  leave  the  nest 
which  I  with  my  own  beak  have  built  for 
them? 


[56] 


THE  LAST  WATCH 

AT  the  high-tide  of  night,  when  the  first 
breath  of  dawn  came  upon  the  wind,  the 
Forerunner,  he  who  calls  himself  echo  to  a 
voice  yet  unheard,  left  his  bed-chamber 
and  ascended  to  the  roof  of  his  house. 
Long  he  stood  and  looked  down  upon  the 
slumbering  city.  Then  he  raised  his 
head,  and  even  as  if  the  sleepless  spirits  of 
all  those  asleep  had  gathered  around  him, 
he  opened  his  lips  and  spoke,  and  he  said  : 

"My  friends  and  my  neighbours  and 
you  who  daily  pass  my  gate,  I  would  speak 
to  you  in  your  sleep,  and  in  the  valley  of 
your  dreams  I  would  walk  naked  and  un 
restrained;  far  heedless  are  your  waking 
hours  and  deaf  are  your  sound-burdened 
ears. 

[57] 


"Long  did  I  love  you  and  overmuch. 

"I  love  the  one  among  you  as  though  he 
were  all,  and  all  as  if  you  were  one.  And 
in  the  spring  of  my  heart  I  sang  in  your 
gardens,  and  in  the  summer  of  my  heart  I 
watched  at  your  threshing-floors. 

"Yea,  I  loved  you  all,  the  giant  and  the 
pigmy,  the  leper  and  the  anointed,  and 
him  who  gropes  in  the  dark  even  as  him 
who  dances  his  days  upon  the  mountains. 

"You,  the  strong,  have  I  loved,  though 
the  marks  of  your  iron  hoofs  are  yet  upon 
my  flesh;  and  you  the  weak,  though  you 
have  drained  my  faith  and  wasted  my  pa 
tience. 

"You  the  rich  have  I  loved,  while  bitter 
was  your  honey  to  my  mouth ;  and  you  the 
poor,  though  you  knew  my  empty-handed 
shame. 

"You  the  poet  with  the  harrowed  lute 
and  blind  fingers,  you  have  I  loved  in  self 
indulgence;  and  you  the  scholar,  ever 
gathering  rotted  shrouds  in  potters'  fields. 

[58] 


"You  the  priest  I  have  loved,  who  sit  in 
the  silences  of  yesterday  questioning  the 
fate  of  my  tomorrow;  and  you  the  wor 
shippers  of  gods  the  images  of  your  own 
desires. 

"You  the  thirsting  woman  whose  cup  is 
ever  full,  I  have  loved  you  in  understand 
ing;  and  you  the  woman  of  restless  nights, 
you  too  I  have  loved  in  pity. 

"You  the  talkative  have  I  loved,  say 
ing,  'Life  hath  much  to  say' ;  and  you  the 
dumb  have  I  loved,  whispering  to  myself, 
'Says  he  not  in  silence  that  which  I  fain 
would  hear  in  words?3 

"And  you  the  judge  and  the  critic,  I 
have  loved  also;  yet  when  you  have  seen 
me  crucified,  you  said,  'He  bleeds  rhythmi 
cally,  and  the  pattern  his  blood  makes  upon 
his  white  skin  is  beautiful  to  behold.' 

"Yea,  I  have  loved  you  all,  the  young 
and  the  old,  the  trembling  reed  and  the 
oak. 

"But  alas !  it  was  the  over-abundance  of 

[59] 


my  heart  that  turned  you  from  me.  You 
would  drink  love  from  a  cup,  but  not  from 
a  surging  river.  You  would  hear  love's 
faint  murmur,  but  when  love  shouts  you 
would  muffle  your  ears. 

"And  because  I  have  loved  you  all  you 
have  said,  'Too  soft  and  yielding  is  his 
heart,  and  too  undiscerning  is  his  path. 
It  is  the  love  of  a  needy  one,  who  picks 
crumbs  even  as  he  sits  at  kingly  feasts. 
And  it  is  the  love  of  a  weakling,  for  the 
strong  loves  only  the  strong.' 

"And  because  I  have  loved  you  over 
much  you  have  said,  'It  is  but  the  love  of  a 
blind  man  who  knows  not  the  beauty  of 
one  nor  the  ugliness  of  another.  And  it  is 
the  love  of  the  tasteless  who  drinks  vine 
gar  even  as  wine.  And  it  is  the  love  of 
the  impertinent  and  the  overweening,  for 
what  stranger  could  be  our  mother  and 
father  and  sister  and  brother*?' 

"This  you  have  said,  and  more.  For 
often  in  the  marketplace  you  pointed  your 

[60] 


fingers  at  me  and  said  mockingly,  'There 
goes  the  ageless  one,  the  man  without  sea 
sons,  who  at  the  noon  hour  plays  games 
with  our  children  and  at  eventide  sits  with 
our  elders  and  assumes  wisdom  and  under 
standing/ 

"And  I  said  'I  will  love  them  more. 
Aye,  even  more.  I  will  hide  my  love  with 
seeming  to  hate,  and  disguise  my  tender 
ness  as  bitterness.  I  will  wear  an  iron 
mask,  and  only  when  armed  and  mailed 
shall  I  seek  them.' 

"Then  I  laid  a  heavy  hand  upon  your 
bruises,  and  like  a  tempest  in  the  night  I 
thundered  in  your  ears. 

"From  the  housetop  I  proclaimed  you 
hypocrites,  pharisees,  tricksters,  false  and 
empty  earth-bubbles. 

"The  short-sighted  among  you  I  cursed 
for  blind  bats,  and  those  too  near  the  earth 
I  likened  to  soulless  moles. 

"The  eloquent  I  pronounced  fork- 
tongued,  the  silent,  stone-lipped,  and  the 


simple  and  artless  I  called  the  dead  never 
weary  of  death. 

"The  seekers  after  world  knowledge  I 
condemned  as  offenders  of  the  holy  spirit 
and  those  who  would  naught  but  the  spirit 
I  branded  as  hunters  of  shadows  who  cast 
their  nets  in  flat  waters  and  catch  but  their 
own  images. 

"Thus  with  my  lips  have  I  denounced 
you,  while  my  heart,  bleeding  within  me, 
called  you  tender  names. 

"It  was  love  lashed  by  its  own  self  that 
spoke.  It  was  pride  half  slain  that  flut 
tered  in  the  dust.  It  was  my  hunger  for 
your  love  that  raged  from  the  housetop, 
while  my  own  love,  kneeling  in  silence, 
prayed  your  forgiveness. 

"But  behold  a  miracle ! 

"It  was  my  disguise  that  opened  your 
eyes,  and  my  seeming  to  hate  that  woke 
your  hearts. 

"And  now  you  love  me. 

"You  love  the  swords  that  strike  you 

[62] 


and  the  arrows  that  crave  your  breast. 
For  it  comforts  you  to  be  wounded  and 
only  when  you  drink  of  your  own  blood 
can  you  be  intoxicated. 

"Like  moths  that  seek  destruction  in  the 
flame  you  gather  daily  in  my  garden :  and 
with  faces  uplifted  and  eyes  enchanted 
you  watch  me  tear  the  fabric  of  your  days. 
And  in  whispers  you  say  the  one  to  the 
other,  'He  sees  with  the  light  of  God.  He 
speaks  like  the  prophets  of  old.  He  un 
veils  our  souls  and  unlocks  our  hearts,  and 
like  the  eagle  that  knows  the  way  of  foxes 
he  knows  our  ways.' 

"Aye,  in  truth,  I  know  your  ways,  but 
only  as  an  eagle  knows  the  ways  of  his 
fledglings.  And  I  fain  would  disclose  my 
secret.  Yet  in  my  need  for  your  nearness 
I  feign  remoteness,  and  in  fear  of  the  ebb 
tide  of  your  love  I  guard  the  floodgates  of 
my  love." 

After  saying  these  things  the  Forerun 
ner  covered  his  face  with  his  hands  and 

[63] 


wept  bitterly.  For  he  knew  in  his  heart 
that  love  humiliated  in  its  nakedness  is 
greater  than  love  that  seeks  triumph  in  dis 
guise;  and  he  was  ashamed. 

But  suddenly  he  raised  his  head,  and 
like  one  waking  from  sleep  he  outstretched 
his  arms  and  said,  "Night  is  over,  and  we 
children  of  night  must  die  when  dawn 
comes  leaping  upon  the  hills;  and  out  of 
our  ashes  a  mightier  love  shall  rise.  And 
it  shall  laugh  in  the  sun,  and  it  shall  be 
deathless." 


[64] 


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